Digital Commons Network^™

Supporting Personal, Familial, Academic, And Community Assets In Latino Youth Through Connectedness, Lindley Mcdavid, Heather Vondielingen, Casey D. Mull

ELRC Presentations

During adolescence, many families begin preparing for their child’s transition to adulthood by focusing on their academic success. Families from Latino backgrounds who live in rural counties often lack the resources and have limited access to community supports to help their child successfully navigate this developmental period. Community-based organizations can support Latino families by building their students’ academic skills and awareness in a learning environment designed to foster belongingness at school, at home and in their community. To understand how programs strive to build these assets, eleven program leaders from an academic success program, who were primarily female (n = …

Examination Of The Criterion-Related Validity Of The Scales For Assessing Emotional Disturbance – 3rd Edition, Corey Pierce, Jacqueline Huscroft-D'Angelo, Jessica Wery, Brad Uhing, Jodie Martin, Kara Loftin

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

In this study, we sought to determine if the Scales for Assessing Emotional Disturbance – Third Edition (SAED-3; Epstein et al., 2020) demonstrated adequate validity using criterion validation techniques. The associations between the SAED-3 subscales and composite scores were examined in relation to similar scores from the Behavior Assessment System for Children – Second Edition (BASC-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, R., 1997). SAED-3 ratings were conducted with either the BASC-2 or SDQ with 121 students ages 6 to 17 years. The overall criterion prediction evidence of …

Truth, Resilience, And Healing: Deepen Understanding Of Native American Federal Boarding School Histories, Toya D. Holiday

Dissertations

Indigenous communities have endured the long-standing impacts of U.S. Federal Indian boarding school policy. The history of Indigenous boarding school policies and the underlying intent to enact cultural genocide is unknown and unacknowledged. The perspectives of Indigenous Peoples have been excluded from dominant narratives, and until recently, from heritage site programming, leading to intergenerational trauma, fragmented identities, and the misrepresentation of Indigenous cultures and experiences. This basic qualitative study asked the question: When the four-truth framework, developed by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is applied to U.S. Federal Indian boarding school policy, Native American boarding school history, and …

He’S The Kid That No One Wanted: An Autoethnographic Examination Of Preschool Suspensions And Expulsions From A Mother’S Lens, Lisa M. Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This autoethnographic research examines the personal and professional journey of advocating against preschool suspensions and expulsions through the lens of a Black mother. Titled He’s The Kid That No One Wanted: An Autoethnographic Examination of Preschool Suspensions and Expulsions from a Mother’s Lens, " it dives into the complicated challenges faced while confronting exclusionary disciplinary practices in early childhood education. This research aims to illuminate the societal and institutional roadblocks encountered when navigating systems of power and to explore the impact of these challenges on both personal identity and professional advocacy. Using a blend of social media artifacts and memory …

Understanding Rural Schools’ Capacity To Learn About Evidence-Based Practices That Promote Youth Mental Health: A Comparative Case Study, Savannah Hobbs, Elaine S. Belansky, Nick Cutforth, Cynthia Hazel

The Rural Educator

Amid growing student mental health concerns, numerous evidence-based practices (EBPs) exist to promote student mental health, but most rural schools do not have these practices in place. Little is known about the organizational capacity of rural schools to learn about and select youth mental health EBPs, or the role research intermediaries can play to support these processes. In this study, 11 middle school staff from three rural school districts participated in surveys and semi-structured interviews to provide information on how schools learn about and select mental health EBPs, related barriers and facilitators, and the role of intermediary support. A semi-structured …

Lgbtqia+ Materials In The Elementary School Library – Examining Purchase And Use: A Mixed Methods Approach, Valerie Byrd Fort

Theses and Dissertations

The need for and importance of diversity in children's literature is well documented, and this study adds to that body of research by addressing LGBTQIA+ materials in elementary school libraries. This mixed-methods study investigates the attitudes, selection, purchasing, and use of LGBTQIA+ materials written for an elementary school age audience by elementary school librarians in U.S. public schools.

Using a national survey distributed electronically to elementary school librarians, quantitative data from 325 participants were collected to examine the extent to which librarians purchase and use LGBTQIA+ materials. Additionally, qualitative insights were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 15 survey respondents, offering …

Trauma-Informed Training For Early Childhood Educators, Tarah Bryant

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

More students are arriving in the early childhood classroom with trauma. This trauma can lead to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), ADHD and reactive attachment disorder. This leads to early childhood teachers feeling burned out and experiencing secondary trauma. Despite this, early childhood educators are not getting additional training that would help support children who have exposure to trauma. In addition, the training they have received doesn't include classroom strategies or social-emotional materials that would address the uptick in trauma-impacted children. The purpose of this study was to look at the perspectives of early childhood educators when it comes to their …

Chronic Illness Education 2025: Pediatric Depression And Anxiety: Hope Through Healthcare, Andreas Mozny, Arjan Goenaga Castillo, Audrey Millar, Ebony Williams, Griffin Lotze, Haytham Al-Qasmi, Kamontip Jongnarangsin, Tricia Jain

Patient Education Projects

No abstract provided.

Exploration Of Adventure-Based Counseling And Its Impact On The Self-Concept Of At-Risk Youth, Kendall Kern, Mary Bess Pannel, Todd Davis, Thales Barbosa

Journal of Academic Underperformance

Background: Integrating experiential therapy techniques with physical activity and nature improves aspects of self-concept: social connectedness, resilience, and healthy coping skills in the short-term for at-risk, underperforming youth (Kraft & Cornelius-White, 2020). Kraft and Cornelius-White (2020) found that wilderness therapy counselors that taught communication skills and prioritized “group cohesion in group therapy” led to positive “changes to self-concept” (p. 350-351). Purpose: The researchers hypothesize that community-based adventure therapy will have a positive impact on the self-concept in at-risk, rural youth. Methodology/Approach: The researchers utilized a quasi-experimental model to assess the impact of adventure therapy on rural at-risk youth (N~6) after …

Measuring Collective Impact Of Extension Programs Addressing Substance Use And Mental Health, Omolola A. Adedokun, Olumuyiwa M. Desmennu, Alex Elswick, Nichole Huff, Brooke Jenkins, Katherine Jury, Heather Norrman-Burgdolf

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Extension excels at working across program areas and disciplinary boundaries inside and outside land-grant institutions to address complex social issues within communities. However, evaluation of the collective impact of these concerted programmatic initiatives remains a persistent challenge for Extension. To better understand the broader impact of Extension’s cohesive, concurrent response to complex issues such as substance use and mental health, there is a need to shift from isolated evaluations of individual or single Extension programs to a focus on collective impact assessment. This article describes the University of Kentucky Extension planning process and outputs of a collective impact evaluation initiative …

The Day You Begin: A Case Study Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy In Early Childhood Classrooms, Kim Shelton

Dissertations

Culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) has garnered growing attention in early childhood education due to its potential to cultivate inclusive and equitable learning environments for increasingly diverse student populations. This qualitative case study examines how early childhood educators perceive and implement CRP in classrooms with high concentrations of immigrant and culturally diverse students. Additionally, it explores the perceived impact of these practices on instructional effectiveness, classroom climate, and teacher-student interactions.

Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. Thematic analysis yielded four central findings: (1) teachers’ understandings of CRP varied considerably, with some demonstrating strong intentionality and others …

Contemporary Echoes From The Progressive Era: A Historical Reclamation Project Of Caroline Pratt And Her Play-Based Pedagogy, Charleen Lynn Kepner

University Honors Theses

Caroline Pratt is the early childhood educator most never heard of. Pratt was a progressive era educator and reformer in 1900s New York City. Pratt developed a play based theory of education. She opened City & Country School in 1914 and her school is still operating utilizing many of the methods Pratt developed. Using first hand field research, archival research, and scholarly articles, I examine how Pratt developed her methods and how modern educators can use them today. The study of Pratt's work and her school reveal a pragmatic approach to learning that educators today can adopt. In conclusion, play …

A Qualitative Study Of The Impact Of Racial Segregation On The Schooling Of One African American Family, Leatre Y. Cooper

Masters Theses (Archived)

This qualitative case study examines the impact of social, economic, and racial biases, that Black students experienced in the United States public school system, focusing on the author's three generational journey. The author's experience highlights the challenges of racialized residential segregation stemming from city-wide redlining practices in New Orleans, which kept Black people geographically isolated from employment opportunities and exposed them to risks to their well-being, crime, and violence (Bloom, 2014; Englund, 2022; Platt, 2019; Seicshnaydre et al.,2018). Despite the tremendous progress made by the Civil Rights Movement and federal and state policies aimed at addressing these inequalities, housing segregation …

A Seat At The Schoolhouse Table: Reimagining Education Through Afrofuturist And Womanist Theory, Natasha M. Capers

Student Theses

“A Seat at the Schoolhouse Table: Reimagining Education Through Afrofuturist and Womanist Theory” critically examines how curriculum, even when well-intentioned, can perpetuate harm by excluding the lived experiences of marginalized communities—especially Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQIA+ students. Using a real middle school immigration assignment given to the author's son as a case study, this capstone deconstructs the structural biases embedded in curriculum design and proposes a radical reimagining through the liberatory lenses of Afrofuturism and Womanism. Blending scholarly inquiry, personal narrative, and community-based interviews, this project offers a restructured assignment that centers joy, identity, and speculative storytelling as tools for educational …

Faculty Roles And Responsibilities Supporting Extension Health Initiatives: Suggestions To Maximize Campus-Field Partnerships, Christine A. Fruhauf, Maria Delgado, Sue Schneider

Journal of Extension

The past several decades of Extension scholarship have addressed topics related to creating pathways for stronger campus-field based connections. Several attempts have been made to support such efforts, including creating content-driven teams of research/teaching faculty and Extension professionals; state-wide tours where campus-based faculty and administrators visit with Extension staff in their county offices and in the field; and making new campus-based faculty and staff hires with a percentage of Extension appointments. Although these strategies have merit, addressing how these initiatives can support the goal of strengthening the work of campus- and field-based faculty to influence the mission of land-grant institutions …

Where To Deposit Your Master’S Thesis Or Doctoral Dissertation In The Unl Digital Commons, Sue Ann Gardner, Paul Royster

Thesis and Dissertation Deposit Information Resources

A list of degree-granting programs with links to the proper series for thesis and dissertation deposit in the UNL Digital Commons.

UNL = University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Updated May 2025.

Find your degree-granting program in the list, then click on the link to go to the proper series to deposit your thesis, dissertation, or other student work.

If you have questions about the process or problems finding the correct series or uploading your work, contact Sue Gardner.

Supporting Students And Educators Impacted By Early Trauma In Early Childhood Education, Lauren Rice

Graduate Teacher Education

Research has indicated that early childhood trauma continues to be an increasing concern for educators across the nation. In fact, “early childhood trauma is a mounting public health concern, as approximately twenty-five percent of children in the United States either witness or experience a traumatic event before the age of four years” (Razza, 2019, p. 82). As the number of students impacted by trauma has increased, there was a need for an increase in teacher resources and training to support educators in the classroom (Brunzell et al., 2016).

Collaborative Research: Developing And Testing Innovations: Early Childhood Maker Literacies: Fostering Computational Thinking Among Navajo Youth And Educators, Kristin Searle

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Using A Process Evaluation In Extension Programming: Takeaways For Teams, Cristina Connolly, Jeantyl Norze, Stacey F. Stearns

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Health fields use process evaluations to measure how closely an intervention aligns with its intended delivery. Despite their potential for improving Cooperative Extension programming and impacts, process evaluations are not widely used outside the medical sciences. We adapted the process evaluation framework for Extension use. The components assess project components such as content, dose delivered, dose received, and reach, as well as moderating factors such as quality of delivery, participant responsiveness, complexity, facilitation strategy, recruitment, and context. The modified process evaluation framework was used to assess an Extension project in the Northeast region of the U.S. Extension teams in the …

Understanding The Context Of Bullying: Examination Of The Healthy Context Paradox And Peer Acceptance For Students With Disabilities, Catherine Mae Carney

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The purpose of this dissertation study was to examine how perceptions of school climate and social acceptance influence the relationship between bullying victimization and anxious and depressive symptoms for youth with and without disabilities. Students with disabilities are at increased risk for involvement in the bullying dynamic, both by bullying others and by experiencing victimization. Victims of bullying are more likely to experience peer rejection and greater internalizing problems, including higher levels of anxious and depressive symptoms. Research suggests that school-wide efforts to reduce bullying may leave some youth vulnerable to worse psychosocial outcomes, which has been called, “the healthy …

“The Point Is To Transform The Hood” Learning From The Past To Build A School That Affirms The Humanity Of Black And Brown Children, Joaquín M.S. Noguera

School of Education Faculty Works

This paper draws from a critical ethnographic case study of the Roses in Concrete Community School (RiC) in East Oakland, California to explore their approach to repurposing a traditional school into a community responsive learning institution by operationalizing a critical humanist vision of education in a marginalized, urban community. The educator activists who founded RiC envisioned a school that would not only meet the needs of students and families, but act as an intervention and a catalyst for healing and transformation. Historiographic methods are used to examine how the founders conceived and implemented the design of RiC and to demonstrate …

Legacy Of Learning: The Journey Of Males Of Color And The Sustaining Power Of Community Cultural Wealth, Marvin Espinoza

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This phenomenological study explores how males of color in South Los Angeles utilize Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) to navigate educational pathways from high school through community college and university. Grounded in Yosso’s (2005) CCW framework—which includes aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistance capital—this study centers the voices of ten first-generation African American and Latino/Latinx males from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Using a mixed methods design, the research combined participant intake surveys, structured questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews to capture how these students persist in the face of systemic barriers. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis, while survey responses …

(Don’T) Fight For Your Right To Party: Exploring The Educational Significance Of Trans Joy At Prom, Annaliese Devita

International Journal of Human Rights Education

Prom, a hallmark of American adolescence, is often dismissed as a frivolous tradition, yet it holds profound significance as a space for youth identity formation, social belonging, and cultural navigation. For trans and gender-expansive youth, the stakes of participation in this rite of passage are heightened amidst escalating attacks on their existence. This essay, drawing from graduate thesis research at the University of Edinburgh, examines the historical roots of prom, its embedded cis-heteronormative structures, and how Queer Youth Proms (QYPs) function as sites of resilience, joy, and self-determination for trans youth. While QYPs offer a critical refuge, their existence underscores …

¿Y Ahora Qué? Interest Convergence And Hope Through Provision, Promotion, And Partnerships In Two-Way Dual Language Programs, Mitch Ingram, Charise Pimentel

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

As Two-Way Dual Language Programs continue in their nascent stages in the United States, some teachers, administrators, and researchers have reported issues of interest convergence. In this article, two researchers work alongside a bilingual pre-service teacher to highlight three such examples: the business of learning a language, Latin@ Spanish-speaking students used as resources, and the gentrification of bilingual education. Beyond the diagnosis of such dilemmas, we offer a preliminary framework and some promising tenets of hope to overcome any such asymmetries that can exist when interested families from different social locations agree to collaborate in the journey of dual language …

The Promethean Promise: Understanding And Responding To The Educational Aspirations Of Black People In The Us, Seventy Years After Brown, Joaquín M.S. Noguera, Pedro A. Noguera

School of Education Faculty Works

In this paper, we use Prometheus and his perpetual punishment to draw attention to the historic role Black people have played in U.S. education and contemplate the state of education for Black people 70 years after the Brown decision. We note the parallels between the period of reconstruction to the current period and use a case study of a school in Oakland, California to draw attention to a community-based response to the unfulfilled promise of the historic Brown decision. Our hope is that the case study can be used to undertake similar initiatives.

Mental Health First Aid With Criminal Justice Students, April N. Terry, Troy Terry

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Mental illness is a major contributor impacting overall health, affecting more than 1 billion people globally (Papish et al., 2013). Research suggests more than 80% of people who die by suicide had a mental illness with suicide being the second leading cause of death for those between the ages of 15-29 (Isometsä, 2001). Yet, many individuals do not seek professional treatment for a variety of factors, including lack of awareness of warning signs and symptoms, mental health stigma, and unavailable services (Baumann, 2007). One method for addressing barriers to mental health treatment includes targeted efforts to improve mental health literacy …

You Can Never Have Too Many Flowers: Nature As A Support For Survivors Of Genocide, War, And Conflict, Adam Hettler

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

One in five children around the world are surviving war or other violent conflicts. The trauma of disruptions to community, safety, and loss of friends, family, and home can have wide-ranging and life-long impacts on children who survive. While impacts will vary from individual to individual, the trauma can impact mental health, feelings of safety, relationships, ability to learn, and many other aspects of their lives. Many educators in the US and globally are working with refugee students or other students who are navigating the impacts on their brains and bodies of different traumas. This project seeks to answer the …

How Michigan Can Leverage Early College High School Programs To Increase Post-Secondary Enrollment And Graduation Rates, Jason W. O'Connor

Master of Public Administration Capstone Papers

Michigan has experienced a significant and sustained decline in postsecondary enrollment rates. A continued shortage of college graduates poses serious implications for the state’s economic future and workforce preparedness. In response to this trend, Early College High School (ECHS) programs have emerged as a promising strategy to increase college enrollment and degree attainment by reducing financial barriers and supporting traditionally underrepresented populations. This capstone paper draws on document analysis and a quantitative survey of student interests to advocate for the expansion of ECHS programs in Michigan.

A Review Of The National Partnership For Student Success (Npss) Voluntary Quality Standards: A Resource For Community-Based Organizations In Southern Nevada, Benita R. Brooks, Omolola A. Odejemi,, Carolina Clavel, Amy Wolfe

National Institute for the Advancement of Education (NIAE)

This literature review examined how three nonprofits—Saga Education (high-impact tutoring), MENTOR (high-quality mentoring), and Communities In Schools (wraparound/integrated student supports)—aligned their programs with the National Partnership for Student Success (NPSS) Voluntary Quality Standards. By leveraging empirical research and data analysis, these organizations have developed evidence-based practices that improve academic outcomes, enhance student well-being, and create more supportive learning environments. The review evaluated the impact of each program on student outcomes, offering insights into how research-driven approaches in tutoring, mentoring, and wraparound student support contribute to student success. The NPSS initiative and its Voluntary Quality Standards provide a comprehensive framework for …

Linguistic Differences Between Spanish And English: Challenges For Native Spanish Speakers And Instructional Strategies For Effective Language Learning, Allison Kassing

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This research article presents a contrastive analysis of Spanish and English, highlighting key linguistic differences that contribute to common grammatical errors among Spanish-speaking English learners. The study examines these differences across four linguistic layers: phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Through error analysis, patterns of language transfer were identified and used to develop four 50-minute lesson plans tailored for English Language Learning (ELL) classes with native Spanish speakers. By recognizing students’ prior linguistic knowledge, ELL teachers can anticipate and address common errors more effectively. Special emphasis is placed on phonemes, morphemes, cognates, and sentence orders that do not exist in both …